ITM Editorial, November 2023
School libraries
Imagine an international school without a school library. It’s expected. It’s assumed and it’s possibly taken for granted. Whatever the size of the school or the student profile, there will be a library. And there will be a school librarian.
As I have been finding out over the last year in a variety of networking sessions, international school librarians arrive at their posts in different ways. Some are specialists with a degree or professional diploma in librarianship. Others are teachers ‘filling in’ but who love it so much they stay. If they are able to, they get the funding to retrain. Others are volunteers from the parent body or the local community.
They are all likely to have several things in common: a love of books, a sense that libraries are ‘special places’ and a desire to share their passion with others. They all need our support, as the demands on their time are huge. Whatever their background, librarians are expected to be teachers, administrators, counsellors, IT geeks, babysitters, community leaders and storytellers. They are a breed apart and without them a school will just not have a soul.
And the library itself? It will be a hub, both ‘buzzy’ and quiet, packed with students, adults and families – reading, researching, listening, taking five or volunteering.
This month, ITM celebrates international school libraries, their librarians and reading with articles by Mary Rose Grieve, Sal Flint, Rob George and Helen Mulligan. Whether you are a librarian, teacher, leader, student or parent, our message is clear: support your school library!
British and International School Libraries Network
And if you are a member of a school library team, you can go one step further. Rob George and Sal Flint have joined with Consilium Education and ITM to start the British and International Schools Library Network.
Why not join Rob and Sal in their next networking and training webinar on Wednesday March 6th when they will be looking at Libraries and Wellbeing.
Find out more about BISLN and the next PD and Networking webinar on March 6th with Sal and Rob here:
FEATURE IMAGE: by tatyana_tomsickova on iStock
Support Image: by Angelina Yan on Unsplash
